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Family Covenant

What if you had an angel involved in the arrangement of your marriage or your children’s marriage, wouldn’t that be amazing? If you’re a believer, you actually do; the “Angel of the Lord” Himself. In Genesis 24, Abraham, in his advanced age, commissions his servant to find a suitable wife for Isaac, his son. Abraham’s desire is undergirded by God’s design. An angel accompanies Abraham’s servant as he seeks out and, ultimately, finds Rebekah. This kind of superintendence is not reserved for prophets; it is how God perpetuates His promises and His people.

God’s promise to Abraham was not in vain. God told Abraham that he would have an heir and that his ancestors would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore (Gen. 22 :17). In the story of Rebekah and Isaac we see four things: First, a loving and godly father who desires good things for his son. Second, a faithful servant who is dedicated to the will and goals of his master. Third, a godly woman who submits to the revealed will of God in her life. Fourth, a godly son who receives, with gladness, the blessing of God. We see in these individuals a reliance upon God and submission to God’s will and thankfulness at the outworking of His Word.

This account teaches us about God’s mighty providence over all human circumstances - our lineages, our births, our lives, our families - all for His glory.God has gone to radical lengths to make covenant with His people and to make them into a family. He rules over our losses, our longings for companionship, and our desire for family. Those impulses are innate in our design.

God satisfies those impulses in a variety of ways: some marry and bear children, some marry and adopt, some never marry and never have their own children; but God, in His familial design, uses all of these circumstances as instruments of His sovereignty.

Isaac had been a good son to his parents, and it followed that he was a good husband to Rebekah. Be faithful in whatever situation the Lord places you. Humble patience, righteous expectation and dutiful obedience must be at work in the Christian as the Holy Spirit gives you eyes to see God’s sovereign plan unfold.

As God’s angel led Abraham’s servant to Rebekah, the “Angel of the Lord,” Jesus Christ, guides and blesses the steps of those who trust in Him.